Description
“It’s pretty clear by now that Dappled is an out-and-out star producer. One of the very best. The value is extraordinary but quality is the main take-home.” – Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
Awarded “Best New Winery” James Halliday’s Wine Companion 2018 & Young Gun of Wine 2017
“Owner and winemaker Shaun Crinion was introduced to wine in 1999, working for his winemaker uncle at Laetitia Winery and Vineyards on the central coast of California. His career since then has been so impressive I can’t cut it short, so here (with minor abbreviations) it is in full: 2000 Devil’s Lair, Margaret River; Corbett Canyon Vineyard, California; ’02 Houghton, Middle Swan; ’03 De Bortoli, Hunter Valley; ’04-06 Pipers Brook, Tasmania; ’06 Bay of Fires,Tasmania; ’06-07 Williams Selyem, California; ’08 Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley; ’10 Domaine de Montille, Burgundy.” James Halliday Wine Companion.
Dappled started in 1999 “.. with a view to make high quality, unadulterated wines from special patches of dirt at realistic prices. These wines were first and foremost for my family and friends, so a hand-crafted, minimal intervention philosophy just made perfect sense to me – and still continues today.” Shaun Crinion.
A blend of upper and lower Yarra Vineyards; Clones P58, I10V1 and Dijon clones 76 and 95. All fruit is hand-picked and cooled overnight, followed by whole bunches being lightly crushed by foot before a long pressing when the un-sulphured juice is transferred straight to oak. The oak is a combination of 80% old and 20% new French Barriques, Puncheons and Demi-Muids. Ferments are allowed to start naturally (wild) and complete with no temperature control. The wine is not battonaged and left on lees for 10 months where some MLF may have occurred, but not encouraged, and SO2 is added when the wine is ready for it. The wine is lightly filtered before being bottled un-fined.
Notes from winemaker Shaun Crinion “A mixture of white stone fruits and fragrant citrus flowers are combined with almond meal and fine flinty aromatics. The palate is rich and decadent like a baked apple pie; buttery, nutty, creamy! There is tension residing though all this, giving length and line to extend flavours that seem to last for a good amount of time.”
95+ points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front “Shaun Crinion of Dappled is under a fair amount of pressure to increase his prices – from various quarters – though he remains committed to keeping them as low as he possibly can. The prices will no doubt have to increase soon but they don’t offer extraordinary value for money by accident; Crinion is determined to keep them as accessible as possible. Personally I wish there were more winemakers like him.
This is another stellar release. It’s a wine of sheer quality, hands down. Flint, matchstick funk, pure nectarine-grapefruit-and-white-peach fruit, a ginger-like note and a smokiness through the finish. It has tremendous length and it feels uncompromised all the way along. Yes it’s flinty/funky but within that style it’s tremendous. And with air it just gets better.”
RRP $35 **Our Price $29.99
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